“Uh, no. She’s here?” He pretended to reconsider being there, rubbing the back of his neck while eying the exit.
“I can put you in a booth. Sides are high enough she won’t even know you’re there.” Her blue eyes sparkled with mirth. “There happens to be one right behind your w—the mayor’s, and she’s in the ladies’ right now.”
He followed Tawny to a booth and placed the menu in front of his face so Sherry wouldn’t see him if she happened to look to the left as she took her seat.
A few minutes later, he heard the creak and slide of leather behind him.
“What was it you wanted to talk with me about, Lois?”
“Why don’t we order our meals first? My treat.”
Lois’s voice was a little higher-pitched than it had ever been when she spoke to Blake. And breathy. Blake snorted, and a grin stretched his mouth.
“Sir, are you ready to order?”
A waitress stood beside him. He opened his mouth to respond, but caught himself just in time. He lowered the menu and pointed at the picture of a juicy steak.
“Our New York Strip? How would you like it cooked?”
He pointed at the red upholstery of his seat.
“Rare?” At his nod, she scribbled on her pad, a smile tipping up one corner of her mouth. “Baked potato or fries?”
No way to pantomime that. Blake narrowed his gaze and snatched the pad from her hands, writing down his preferences and then handing it back to her.
As she walked away, she snickered.
Blake shook his head. This was what he’d been reduced to—spying on his wife. And the whole town would know it before morning.
Sherry didn’t know whether to laugh or blow a gasket. She’d had to hide behind a potted fichus when she’d exited the bathroom and seen the Smothers girl leading Blake to the table right behind hers. He’d followed her…was spying on her. Why else would he be pantomiming to the waitress? Something she knew because she’d pretended to drop something and glanced around the booth, just far enough to see him point at the vinyl to indicate he wanted his steak red.
The whole dang town would know by breakfast time that Blake was stalking her like a pervert. Not that she was all that upset. She saw the humor in the situation, and wondered how she could possibly make him more uncomfortable than he probably already was. Which was a good thing. He’d be good and irritated, might not want to wait until after her morning run to see her again.
The sound of Lois drumming her fingers on the table drew her attention. Had she seen Blake? The scoop neck blouse she wore was scooped a little deeper than it had been when they’d first taken their seats. And she was bringing everyone’s attention to her nicely rounded globes by the fingers she splayed innocently across her chest.
No denying the fact Sherry envied the woman’s bosom. They were smaller than hers. They wouldn’t sag as quickly as Sherry’s likely would.
“I can’t help feeling we’ve somehow stepped out on the wrong foot,” Lois said with a tentative smile.
“I have no beef with you, Lois. Why would you think that?”
“I’ve heard a rumor or two…that you and your husband separated because of that little incident in his fire house…”
“Lois, bless your heart.” Sherry smiled, leaning over the table to tap the back of the other woman’s hand. “You are not the reason Blake and I split. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.”
Lois’s smile grew, relief plain in her eyes.
The waitress arrived with their salads, interrupting the conversation.
The moment she left, Lois’s gaze fluttered up again. “I hope you don’t think I’m prying, but is there any hope the two of you will…”
Sherry fought not to give the woman a heated glare, remembering who was behind her and the fact he needed punishing for daring to follow her around. “Honey, that barn door’s closed.”
The sound of someone choking came from behind her, and she smiled.
Lois’s gaze dropped to Sherry’s wide smile. “That’s a shame,” she said.
But the way she murmured it didn’t sound like she was the least bit sorry. It was on the tip of Sherry’s tongue to light into the girl for her ill-concealed glee, but she felt something slide up the inside of her ankle. A naked toe.
“Bet you’re wonderin’ why I invited you tonight,” Lois said, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. “I just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to go through this alone. You have a friend.”
The toe stroked her skin again, and Sherry sat speechless, her breath trapped in her throat. Lois wasn’t interested in Blake. She was hitting on her. What the hell? And was that Blake chuckling behind her? Her seat, which was connected to his, began to shake.
The bastard had known all along that Lois was gay, or at least bi. Son of a bitch. And now he knew she was in a spot, embarrassed as hell. And Sherry was being robbed of her chance for revenge.
She licked her lower lip, unsure how to tell the other woman she wasn’t interested without sending Blake into a fit of loud guffaws.
Lois saved her speaking. She rose, leaned over the table and planted a kiss right on her mouth.
It was reflexive, instinctual to respond to the press of soft lips. Sherry’s mouth pressed back. The slide of the tip of Lois’s tongue along the seam caused Sherry to gasp softly. Behind her, she felt the seat jerk. Blake knew what was happening. Likely because she hadn’t been able to hold back her whimper, the sound he loved whenever he kissed her. Or so he’d always said.
His surprise was another sort of victory, she supposed. She should let him wonder. If only for a minute. Besides, she might never again get the chance to kiss a girl. She tilted her head and let Lois deepen the kiss. The other woman’s soft hand caressed her cheek, fingers slipped into her hair. When Lois sucked her bottom lip between hers, she knew she had to stop her. She shouldn’t lead her on. It would be cruel to let her think she stood a chance.
Sherry pulled away and sat back in her chair, staring across at Lois who was having a hard time concealing her growing lust.
The reporter fanned her face. “I knew you’d be hot.”
Sherry arched a brow. That was the best line she had? She was a writer, for fuck's sake. “The kiss was nice, Lois, but…”
“Don’t.” Lois held up her hand. “I know you’re the mayor. I know you have this wholesome image and aren’t yet divorced. I just wanted to put this out there. Let you know that if ever you’re free, I’m interested.” After dabbing her mouth with the napkin, Lois slipped from her chair. “I’ll pay for your meal. Please stay to enjoy it. Maybe you could invite Blake to sit with you so you don’t feel so awkward.” She gave Sherry a grin then walked past Blake, fluttering her fingers.
A moment later, Blake slid into the booth opposite her. Her mind was still reeling from what had just happened, so she didn’t light into him for spying. His gaze studied her face, which was warming with humiliation.
He reached across and ran his thumb across her bottom lip. “There was a little lipstick. Not yours.”
“You heard all that?”
“Of course. I’ve been spying on you.”
“Lois doesn’t want you.” She flopped back against the leather upholstery.
He shrugged.
“You knew she didn’t.”
“Would you have listened if I’d told you she’s a lesbian? Or that her ruthlessness, which she hides behind her dizzy blonde act, doesn’t appeal to me at all?”
Sherry started to open her mouth to argue further, but closed it. He was right. She wouldn’t have been satisfied if he’d told her. The day of the incident, she’d wanted to argue. For him to grab her up and silence her with a hard, passionate kiss. Not walk out the door. And once he had, she couldn’t leave it be, let him blow off steam and return. She’d had to change the lock to the front door. Then he hadn’t snuck around the side of the house to enter through the kitchen, and she figured he just wasn’t that into her any longer.
/>
Everything had gone all wrong. The sexy battle had grown steadily more serious until neither could back down and still save face. They were both too stubborn to admit they’d let things get out of hand.
And she still wasn’t willing to concede. Not just yet. She touched her bottom lip, feigning wonder. “I’m still in a state of shock. That’s not something I’ve ever considered.”
He snorted, crossed his arms over his chest and sat back in his seat, staring across at her while she raised her chin.
Their steaks arrived, delivered by a clearly flustered waitress. “The other lady took care of your bill,” she whispered to Sherry, then gave Blake a sickly smile.
Blake’s smile was dark. “I’ll need Worcestershire.”
Seeming relieved to leave, the waitress scurried away.
“I suppose she saw.”
Blake grinned as he slashed his knife through a corner of the steak. “Sweetheart, there’s not a body in Caldera who won’t know I caught you kissing Lois Freely.”
“They’ll think something sordid. Like you had to break us up. Hell, they’ll think you and I broke up because I wanted her and was jealous of her sliding down your pole.” She groaned and shook her head. “I’ll never get reelected.”
Blake’s lips pursed, then formed a slow, wicked smile. “Only way around to make ’em all forget is to get caught in a compromising position with me. Give them bigger news to chew over than a little ole kiss between girls.”
“Hell, thought we already did that this morning.”
“Last in, last out,” he murmured, dark eyes twinkling.
Her jaw dropped. “Blake! Shhh! That was crude.” He was enjoying this way too much. Would this be their last public argument? Her eyes began to fill and she blinked hard.
He set down his napkin and stood. He grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. When they were face to face, he paused to glance around the dining room. “Got your cell phones ready, y’all?” Then he bent her over his arm.
Sherry clutched his shoulders in alarm, but then sighed into his mouth when he gave her a deep, much more satisfying kiss than Lois Freely ever could.
Applause was only white noise in the background. Her focus was on the man kissing her like a sailor on V-J Day—joyfully committed.
Chapter Four
“You are a shameful woman.”
Seeing as she was resting naked against his chest in the front seat of his truck, mosquitoes taking bites of her butt, Sherry couldn’t argue that. “Guess I am,” she muttered. “I was kissed by a woman, full on the mouth, brazen as can be. And now, not an hour later, I’m having sex in my husband’s truck in the middle of a city park.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’ve sunk to a new low. If anyone finds out, my approval ratings will be in the toilet.”
Blake’s hands grabbed a bigger handful of her bottom. “This is Caldera. You don’t get approval ratings. You get smart-ass comments at the grocery store. Just remember, folks around here love a comeback,” he said, nibbling on her lobe. “You’ve got plenty of time to work your way back into their trust.”
“Not yours?” she murmured, tilting her head as he nipped his way to her shoulder.
“Baby, you never lost it. I knew you just needed time to get over whatever it was that set you off. And now you know you had no good reason to be jealous of Lois.”
She stiffened in his arms. “You think whatever I was angry about was inconsequential, don’t you? That it was just something I blew up at because I’m crazy that way?”
He remained silent.
A strategy that never failed to fuel her anger. She pushed against his chest so he could get the full effect of her scowl. Never mind both their expressions were dappled by the moonlight filtering through the trees and his truck’s open windows. “Do you want to sleep on your brother’s couch again?” she asked, her tone low and even.
His eyebrows lowered. “What do you want me to say? I knew your being upset over Lois was bullshit. That eventually it would all blow over. I just had to out-wait you.”
She pointed a finger and poked his chest. “You see? That there’s the problem. You don’t take anything I say seriously.”
“Will you feel better if I tell you that the longer it dragged out, the more worried I got?”
Again, she pushed against his chest and tried to wriggle off his lap. Never mind his cock was hot and thick and pulsing against her thigh. “No, it doesn’t make me feel better. You still don’t get it. This wasn’t a game. I was dead serious. I have papers in my desk—divorce papers.”
His hands tightened like clamps on her ass. “Ryan drew them up?” His jaw tightened. “He never said a word.”
“I threatened to report him to the state bar if he did.”
“Bet that went over well.”
Blood pounded in her ears. She snorted. “He laughed at me. Thought this was all a big dramatic thing, just another one of our famous fights.”
“How can you blame him? We have earned a reputation.”
She gave him a disgruntled frown. “Should have known we’d never work out the first time you kidnapped me from the Dairy Queen.”
“What was I supposed to do? You were in your prom dress, wearing my corsage. You had no call to get into Josh’s truck to leave with him.”
“What else could I have done? You scared the crap out of me. You had everything planned out. The flowers, the champagne—you still haven’t admitted who you got to buy that for you—and a ring in my glass? What were you thinking?”
“That we’d been having sex for over a year already, and we ought to get married before we had an accident.”
She waved her hand in the air. “Which is exactly how your proposal went. Do you know how flattering it wasn’t to hear the only reason you wanted to marry me was because we couldn’t keep our pants zipped, and we shouldn’t bring a kid into the world if we weren’t married?” Because she hadn’t paused for a single breath, she dragged in a deep one.
“Guess I should have been more precise.”
“And said what?” Sherry fisted her hands on her hips. “Hey, we have to get married because I’m gonna get you knocked up?”
Blake gave her a sad smile. “No, I should have just said that I loved you.”
Loved. He had loved her. Something she’d never doubted. But how did he feel now? Was he in love with her, or was he just comfortable in their relationship?
“How I proposed didn’t seem to matter. You still said yes.”
“Because I loved you.” Love. I still love you.
His gaze remained on her, his hands, too, but the hold gentled. “Do you want me to take you home? Drop you at your door?”
She realized she was close to tears. And far from satisfied. This was only the second time they’d made love in over a month. She had catching up to do, and she needed to squeeze in as much Blake-time as she could. Sherry still wasn’t sure they were safe. “Will you stay? For the night, I mean?” she whispered.
He lifted his hands, framing her face, fingers pushing back locks of hair stuck to her sweaty cheeks. “I’ll stay for as long as you want me to.”
The tears that had threatened welled up in her eyes. “I love you.”
“I know that. Sometimes, love isn’t enough, I guess,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.
Was he talking about her feelings, or his? God, she wanted to ask, but he gave her a crooked smile and scooted her off his lap. “Better get dressed. With our luck, one of Josh’s deputies will pull us over just to have bragging rights to the next episode of Blake and Sherry do Caldera.”
Her lips twisted. “It was only the once. By the creek. So long ago, I bet Deputy Owens doesn’t even remember.” She didn’t bother to glance his way because she knew the deputy hadn’t forgotten a thing. Every time they met, he had to work the color purple into the conversation.
Sky’s so blue it’s almost purple, ain’t it, Miz Thacker?
Stubbed my toe so hard it’s purple. Wanna see?
&nb
sp; Purple had been the color of her matching bra and panties the day she and Blake had thrown caution to the wind. Didn’t help they weren’t exactly teenagers when it happened, and folks had minds like steel traps on the topic of scandal.
Blake didn’t dare smile. Oh, Deputy Owens remembered all right. Every time they met, the deputy made a point of mentioning how pretty Sherry was. How’s that pretty little wife of yours? Haven’t seen her lately, he’d say, emphasizing “seen.” Sometimes, it was all Blake could do not to knock the guy on his ass, but he didn’t think Sherry would like that old story recirculating with a brand new chapter.
She finished putting on her clothes, and he tugged up his trousers and zipped them closed, then he started the engine.
As his lights fanned the area, he noted two other cars nestled in the trees. Teenagers, no doubt. Maybe they’d been too busy with their own necking to figure out who else was taking advantage of the moonlit night and isolation in the park.
The trip to Sherry’s was spent in silence, her hand held snug inside his. Maybe it was the darkness, but sadness settled like a weight on his chest. For the first time, he seriously considered they might not work this out. A thought that made his breaths grow a little shallow and his stomach sink.
Life without Sherry? He couldn’t imagine it. Sure, they’d had their ups and downs. She was mercurial, moody. He was sometimes distant. When he ignored her too long, she did something outrageous, something loud, and he snapped back. It was just the way they were. The fights kept them on their toes. The makeup sex kept their lovemaking fresh and exciting.
He pulled his truck into the drive, then followed her inside. This time, she didn’t give him a sexy striptease up the stairs. Just the same, he stayed close. His need to feel her underneath him, to pin her to the bed with his weight and his love, was too overpowering.
No more games. He was running out of time.
Once inside her room, she turned, her eyes darkening in the lamplight. She stood still, staring back at him.
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